SWIPE TO BROWSE THIS LIST

How glorious Kanye’s recent no-fucks-given run has been. You’ve got his expressionless SNL promo’s. Premiering new songs on the side of buildings. Wearing masks (and skirts) during performances. Naming his album Yeezus. And now the most recent news that said album will not be available for pre-order.

And it seems to not even matter. Who do you know that pre-orders albums anyway? Seems like the most unnecessary exercise. Music is the most accessible media around, no one is securing themselves a chance to download something that can be downloaded an infinite number of times.

If anything, this impacts iTunes and other retailers the most. All of Kanye’s moves have been to take power away from the institutions that profit off of artists. SNL won’t get to use him in a skit or even be able to advertise or expect a performance of a popular song. Radio will not get the exclusive Kanye premiere, nope, that goes to a slab of concrete. And iTunes won’t be able to make money off of any pre-orders, which usually come with exclusive bonus tracks to those who commit early.

It remains to be seen what kind of quality Yeezus will yield, but Kanye seems inspired. By the imminent birth of his child, by the MTV Hottest MC list, or maybe just by the ability to stick it to the man and flip him off as he walks away.